Shaping the Future

The rise of the information economy brings new challenges to higher education, making it vitally important for colleges and universities to focus their efforts on preparing students to solve complex problems in a rapidly changing world.

That’s the drive behind NC State’s mantra of “Think and Do.”

For business and government leaders who want to get things done, there’s no better destination than NC State. Our culture of innovation has attracted dozens of partners from around the globe who come to us with a common goal: solving society’s toughest problems.

On Centennial Campus — our pioneering public-private research campus — interdisciplinary teams of students and faculty tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges, from climate change and nuclear proliferation to the flood of big data and global competition for manufacturing jobs. We’re one of only two universities in the nation leading two National Science Foundation Engineering Research Centers: one redesigning the nation’s aging power grid and the other developing self-powered health monitoring devices.

Innovation goes hand in hand with entrepreneurship at NC State. Our faculty, students and industry partners have spun off more than 125 companies developing technologies invented in our labs and centers.

By focusing on real-world needs, NC State is leading the nation in shaping the future of higher education.

169Commercialization Licenses and Options

executed in FY2017

#2in Commercialization of Research

among universities without a medical school

More Than 600 License Agreements

with industry partners, putting us in the top 10 in commercialization nationally

125+Startups and Spinoffs

based on NC State research, attracting a total of $1.6 billion in venture capital